Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John’s cameos in the forthcoming comedy sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues have been revealed in a new trailer for the film.
Spinal Tap II will reunite the characters Nigel Tufnel, David St Hubbins and Derek Smalls (played by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, respectively) as their fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap prepares for a farewell concert in New Orleans.
The new film is a direct sequel to 1984’s This is Spinal Tap, and is once again directed by Rob Reiner, who also returns to portray documentary maker Marty DiBergi. Like the original film, which features cameos from the likes of Billy Crystal and Anjelica Huston, the new instalment will see see many celebrities appear in cameo roles.
One amusing clip from the trailer sees Paul McCartney refer to one of the band’s lyrics about a “pink torpedo” (a sexual euphemism) as “literature”. Elsewhere, Elton John joins the group on stage for a rendition of their hit “Stonehenge”. The group also try to recruit Questlove from The Roots to serve as their drummer.
Among the other previously reported cameos are country artist Garth Brooks, Canadian singer Paul Shaffer, The Nanny star Fran Drescher and British comedians Nina Conti, Kerry Godliman and Chris Addison.
Production company Bleecker Street has acquired the rights to the sequel and the original movie too, which will be restored and re-released in cinemas over the summer. It will also return to streaming services later this year.
In a statement, Reiner said: “So happy to be working with the folks at Bleecker Street who are passionate about keeping Tap’s legacy alive and happy to give Marty DiBergi another shot at relevancy.”
It comes more than 40 years after the release of the cult classic mockumentary, which first introduced the world to the hilariously shambolic escapades of the band.
Spinal Tap have briefly performed as a real band, reuniting for a tribute to Freddie Mercury, as well as Glastonbury and environmental Live Earth concerts.
In 2009, the mock group were nominated for Classic Rock magazine’s Roll of Honour.
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be released in cinemas on 12 September.
